Intel CPUs Get Hotter: Arrow & Panther Lake to Reach 105°C

In recent years, Intel has set the overheat protection temperature (TJMax) for Alder Lake and Raptor Lake at 100°C, a threshold known as the “thermal wall.” However, with the new generation of Core Ultra, codenamed “Meteor Lake,” the overheat protection temperature can be set at either 105°C or 110°C, depending on the specific version.

Recently, an insider revealed that Intel’s upcoming Lunar Lake will reset the overheat protection temperature to 100°C. However, the subsequent Arrow Lake and Panther Lake are expected to increase the overheat protection temperature to 105°C. Rumor has it that Lunar Lake and Panther Lake are designed for mobile platforms, whereas the next-generation desktop platform will be from Arrow Lake, which is likely to run hotter than the current 12th, 13th, and 14th-generation Core desktop processors.

The overheat protection temperature is the maximum temperature a processor can reach before activating internal thermal controls to reduce power consumption and limit temperature, potentially leading to performance degradation. System manufacturers design products to keep the processor’s temperature below this threshold during heavy workloads, thus maximizing performance. On the positive side, increasing the overheat protection temperature threshold allows the processor to maintain peak performance for longer periods under high loads. Conversely, it also signifies Intel’s confidence in the chip’s ability to operate at elevated temperatures.

This year, Intel will introduce the Core Ultra 200 series, consisting of Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake. Next year’s Core Ultra 300 series will feature a combination of Arrow Lake Refresh and Panther Lake, with the latter’s P-Core upgraded from Lion Cove to Cougar Cove architecture.